Individuals who still have low levels of plasma HIV RNA despite taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) may experience treatment failure, and those with HIV residual DNA in their T-cells may not achieve expected CD4 cell gains, according to 2 studies presented at the 52nd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC 2012) this week in San Francisco.

A common application that allows people with HIV to apply for financial assistance for drugs from multiple companies went into effect on September 12, 2012. Individuals should now be able to obtain a complete antiretroviral regimen with a single form.

More than 80% of HIV patients in the large North American ACCORD study are receiving combination antiretroviral therapy (ART), about 70% have suppressed viral load -- up from less than 50% in 2000 -- and the median age at the time of death rose by 6 years, researchers reported at the recent XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) in Washington, DC.

HIVandHepatitis.com coverage of the 52nd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy -- better known as ICAAC -- in San Francisco, September 9-12, 2012.

Topics highlighted this year include experimental antiretroviral drugs, complications related to HIV and its treatment, recent developments in hepatitis C therapy, and cancer caused by HPV, along with a gamut of other infectious diseases including influenza, tuberculosis, and STDs.

Bristol-Myers Squibb's novel attachment inhibitor pro-drug BMS-663068, which binds to HIV's gp120 envelope protein, potently suppressed viral load and was generally well-tolerated in a week-long monotherapy study, according to a report in the August 14, 2012, advance online edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases. A related study showed that the active form of the drug worked against virus resistant to other entry inhibitors.